Frequently Asked Questions

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Helping Hands Asset Recovery Group LLC (HHAR), offers a comprehensive of Services from the identification of funds thru claim retrieval, we have it all for you under one platform so you don't have to contact a whole bunch of people for your work and pay everyone upfront.

We offer our services for people who lost their properties in an auction. No matter if auction was for mortgage foreclosure sale or a tax deed sale, either way we can help you to recover the money.

At HHAR Group LLC, we are dedicated to recovering tax auction & mortgage foreclosure surplus funds for our Clients, and preventing unrightful Claimants from collecting a portion or all your funds. We have decades of experience in this field, and an unblemished reputation for reliability, honesty and excellence. The Counties holding these funds are not expert in assisting Owners/Claimants and are limited in their obligations (and knowledge) in providing guidance. Working with us best ensures success by submitting your claims ASAP.

Our staff is experienced at using the internet and software technologies to locate owners and/or family members from open source records provided by the court. We also make use of information provided by the Counties to contact Clients who own and need these funds, and who we can help.

Unclaimed funds are turned over to the State and held in a designated fund until they are claimed by the rightful owner. These funds can sometimes be claimed by the former homeowner or other parties with legal rights to the surplus. But it is for a limited time, after which they escheat the funds to treasury. The County or Trustee can only keep what was due; any amount that is over that is legally due to the previous owner and heirs, or if not claimed then the state treasury. Time may be short, take action today.

Unclaimed funds are assets or money that have gone unclaimed by their rightful owners. Foreclosure surplus, excess funds or excess proceeds are names used interchangeably to refer to the same thing.

In the case of a foreclosure, were they result from an association foreclosure or a mortgage foreclosure, it is the remaining proceeds generated from a foreclosure auction sale, that exceed the amount needed to satisfy the outstanding debt, including the mortgage, fees, and costs.

Unclaimed excess or surplus funds can derive from the loss of property due to failure to pay property taxes, resulting in a tax-deed sale auction where the property is sold at auction for more money than needed to pay the taxes due, including the legal fees, and costs.

In situations such as an individual forgets about money left over in bank accounts or other assets, the funds are transferred to the state because it was considered dormant or abandoned, after a period of inactivity. In a bankruptcy case, funds left over after payment to satisfy creditors in the case of a debtor, or from checks that have not been cashed or where checks were returned in the mail in the case of creditors.

The owner or the owner’s heirs are entitled to claim those funds and we can help!

If an owner does not pay their property taxes for a single year or doesn't pay his/her debt in timely manner, the county has the right after two years from the year of the unpaid bill to place the property up for auction in a tax deed sale, or the lender has the right to go court and request the county to auction the property in a mortgage foreclosure sale.

If your home is foreclosed and you still owe funds, such as the remaining mortgage balance or

additional fees, you may be responsible for paying those debts. Depending on circumstances, the lender may pursue legal actions to recover the remaining debt. Call us now to start the recovery process as soon as possible.

The county is required to notify the owners of an upcoming sale. However, it is only required to mail notice to the address on file with the tax collector or tax appraiser. Counties are not required to search for a current address or undertake more extensive means to locate a property owner. 

There are millions of people owed billions of dollars. The unclaimed property offices holding this money has limited staff. They can only do certain amount of work. They also get paid the same amount no matter how many people they can find. There is no extra incentive to find you. As thousands of new accounts are added every week, chances are that the unclaimed property office will never contact you. On the other hand, we only get paid if we get your money back. We have more incentive to find people and contact them than the unclaimed property office does.

You may be entitled if you have been identified as the rightful claimant of these funds because a property you owned went through a foreclosure or tax sale, or because you are an heir to such a property. 

You may be identified as the rightful claimant of these funds if involved in a bankruptcy, foreclosure auction sale. After the full administration of a bankruptcy case and the lawful accounting of funds under the trustee’s control, any remaining funds rightfully belong to the debtor, and checks are mailed to creditors to the last known address.  If the debtor or creditor cannot be located or fails to deposit their checks within 90 days, the funds remain in the court registry. Or it may be the case that you were a debtor or a creditor in a bankruptcy case. Contact us for assistance.

No! If the mortgage wasn't included in the foreclosure case, they can't claim the surplus. Even if they were the plaintiff, they're ineligible to claim it because they were fully paid from the sale proceeds. Their senior lien remains on the property if not named in the foreclosure. The buyer at auction assumes responsibility for the mortgage. Therefore, you're free to have us claim the funds for you.

If you choose Helping Hands Asset Recovery Group LLC (HHAR), take comfort in knowing you won't be required to pay for any services upfront. HHAR covers all expenses and fees necessary to process your claim. Our payment is strictly contingent on our Team successfully securing the funds for you, and this arrangement will be clearly outlined in our agreement with you.

As mentioned, we only get paid once we are successful in retrieval of funds. That means we only get paid when you get paid. We charge a percentage of that retrieved surplus as agreed in contract with you. All costs in the process are paid by us out of that percentage. There are no out of pocket costs to our Clients, and we charge the lowest contingency fee in the market.

We will cover all of the costs during the process including but not limited to; filing fees, court costs, attorney fees, notaries, and postage, all up front, so you will never have to be out of pocket, and will receive the full share agreed upon when the check is issued.  

While it is possible to claim surplus funds on your own, but due to a time frame under which the claim should be submitted & the process being complex and time-consuming, Enlisting the assistance of surplus fund recovery specialist, like Us, can significantly increase your chances of a successful recovery. 

Typically, a motion must be filed with the court to collect these funds. You can choose to hire an attorney, but this can be costly as attorneys usually charge hourly rates, which you must pay regardless of the outcome.

When claims are more complex, our attorneys diligently work to establish you as the rightful recipient of these funds and ensure the court orders their release from the holding agency.

You won't incur any out-of-pocket expenses. We operate strictly on a contingency basis, meaning we only receive payment when you receive payment. If we are unable to recover any funds for you, our services are completely free of charge! Contact us today!

After one year, the funds from your foreclosure sale are transferred to the state treasury. While they can still be claimed from there, the process becomes more complex and time-consuming. Therefore, it is crucial to collect them within one year.

The primary concern is not losing the funds to the county or state treasury. Rather, there are individuals who monitor these cases, and if a claim is not filed promptly within the first few months, they may attempt fraudulent actions to claim the funds for themselves. This could include forging signatures on documents in an effort to secure the funds. In the case of a bankruptcy refund claim, the funds may be available longer than a year.

We prepare all the documents and hire a notary in your area to meet with you to formally sign the agreement. The notary then returns the documents to us and we prepare and submit all necessary paperwork to the county. If a probate is necessary, we hire the specializing attorney to coordinate with you and with us to initiate the legal process.

It varies state to state, some Counties require a mandatory waiting period of 120 days from time of auction and surplus notification to disperse funds. Others may take up to 6 months. Every case is different from each other. The timeline for surplus fund recovery can vary based on the specific circumstances of your case. While some cases may resolve relatively quickly, others may take more time due to legal processes and negotiations. Let get the claim started today!

To get started with our tax or foreclosure recovery services, simply contact our company and speak with our knowledgeable team. We will assess your situation, discuss the details of your funds case, and guide you through the process of recovering any available surplus funds.